Getting It Right
by evieeden
Summary: Being Alpha of the pack means that tough decisions have to be made sometimes. Advent story written for 4th December.


**Happy 4****th**** December everyone. I hope you all like today's advent story. A big thank you goes to koko23cat who was kind enough to beta this for me.**

**As I say quite a lot, I regrettably own nothing to do with Twilight.**

**Getting It Right**

They found her lying in a cold stream just over the treaty line.

They hadn't known she was there, but the scent of vampires close to their land had drawn them, snarling, towards the invisible border line and, the closer they got, the richer the scent of her blood became.

She was wearing just a summer dress, suitable for the day, but completely impractical for the cool Spring night. Her feet were bare and her body was drenched by the running water. She was trembling violently with the cold, but the goosebumps on her sallow skin wasn't what made the wolves flinch.

Her back was covered in blood. Some of it stained the brook as it ran over her, while the rest oozed across her pale shoulders and trailed down her spine. Dark bruises blackened her arms and most of the skin they could see. From what her dress revealed they could see that the wounds ran down her legs too.

The Cullens were already there of course, snapping and snarling as they argued over whether to cross the treaty line to fetch her. The red-headed mind reader was whining. His voice made their ears hurt as he petitioned his leader to let him retrieve the girl. He seemed agitated, like he was ready to spring. One of the females, the blonde one, and the big male already had restraining hands on his arms.

Sending a mental order out, Sam melted into his human form just a warning howl went out and summoned the rest of the pack. In fluid movements, he pulled his cut-offs free from their restraining tie on his leg and pulled them on, before he strode forward to face the leeches.

"What's going on?"

The vamps turned unnaturally still, caught by surprise by the pack's appearance. In the distance he heard the rest of his wolves begin to pound across the forest in their direction. The thundering of their paws sent vibrations through the leaf-covered ground.

The two vampires holding onto the mind reader dragged him further backwards, away from their challengers, while the leader stood up straighter.

"Our apologies, Sam, if we disturbed you and your pack. We were concerned that Bella was injured and wished to see to her wellbeing."

The Alpha glanced down at the still shivering girl and back up at the bloodsuckers.

"She's on our side of the treaty line," he stated calmly.

The head vampire swallowed heavily. "If you would allow one of us to cross the line here in your presence then we shall take Bella back home and make sure she receives the medical support I'm sure you can see she needs."

The blonde vampire snorted derisively. "Yeah, because I'm sure she feels real safe in our company right now, Carlisle."

"Rosalie!"

The bloodsucker was rebuked sharply by the mother vamp.

Sam narrowed his eyes. Signalling to the wolf standing behind him, he stepped forward so that he stood between the vampires and the girl. He felt the shiver run up his spine as Paul phased back to human, reached down and scooped up the girl so she was no longer lying in the freezing water. The mind-reading leech didn't like that and snarled, only to be jerked sharply back by his family.

There was another howl, closer this time, and one by one the rest of the wolves began to emerge from behind trees and around bushes, each one willing to leap forward at any moment on their leader's command. They snuffled at the girl held in their pack mate's arms and instinctively growled at the waiting leeches. The smell of her blood had them _all_ on edge.

The Alpha glared at the head vamp. "What happened to her?"

The vampires all shifted uncomfortably.

"There was an accident," the leader began.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I can see there was an accident," he snapped. "The question is, how do you get from Bella having an accident to her lying in a river covered in her own blood?"

A soft moan came from the girl lying in Paul's arms.

"Bella!" The mind reader struggled to get out of his family's hands.

The pack instantly reacted to the perceived attack. Their growls and snarls rumbled through the air.

The girl responded, her distress clear. She tossed her head fitfully. "No!" she whimpered. "No...stay away...don't want..."

Sam turned back to face the Cullens.

"You heard the girl. She doesn't want you near her and we don't want you this close to our land. So how about you all leave before things get ugly?"

The smallest leech, the short girl, grabbed her leader's arm and whispered in his ear, too low for the wolves to hear. He frowned down at her but nodded when she waved her hands at him.

"Very well. If you can let Bella know that we're very concerned for her health and that we'll see her when she returns home."

"No, Carlisle. You can't let them just take her like-"

"Edward!" The vamp leader turned back to the wolves. "We'll go now. Please give our best to Bella."

They turned their backs on the wolves and melted away from the treaty line. The redhead cast longing looks back towards the now unconscious girl. Sam watched him carefully, but the vamp was towed away by his brothers before he could make his move.

Sam only relaxed once they were gone and their stench disappeared into the forest. He spun around to face his still grumbling pack and began to bark out orders.

"Brady and Seth go and run patrol for this shift. Paul and I will take over again later. Jared, take Collin and run the treaty line. I don't trust those vamps, especially the mind reader, to not try to cross the boundary again. Leah, run and ask your mother if she'll meet us at our place and take a look at Bella."

The wolves scattered to do his bidding, all except two who phased back to human in confusion.

"What about us?" Quil asked. "I mean, Bella's not that big. I doubt she needs more than Paul to carry her." He shot his brother a sly look. "Unless he's strained a muscle."

Paul snarled at him, but Quil and Embry just laughed. In spite of the tension still straining his nerves, Sam rolled his eyes.

"Quil and Embry, I need you both to run north and try and get Jacob to listen to you."

The two young wolves were stunned. "What?"

Paul was pissed. _"What?"_

Sam sighed. He suddenly felt very old.

"Look, we've just found the girl lying in a river. She's meant to be marrying the leech in two months' time and yet she didn't want to go back with him. She's covered in blood and I don't think it was by accident that she made it across the treaty line before collapsing. I think she was trying to escape the vampires for a reason. Jake's the only one who's been able to get through to her in the past, so, yes, you and Embry will go and fetch him back - drag him if you have to - and in the meantime we'll take her back to Emily and Sue to get patched up."

They gazed at him solemnly for a moment before they nodded and phased back to their wolf forms. They both howled in goodbye, before they crashed heavily through the trees and sped away.

The two oldest wolves watched them leave.

"Do you really think the bloodsuckers did something to her?"

Sam looked at the tiny girl and then at his third. "For the sake of the treaty, I'd hope not, but," he gestured towards Bella, "given this situation, I don't think we can take anything for granted. Come on."

Clapping Paul on the shoulder, Sam began to run back towards the town. Paul fell into step beside him as both men ran at a reduced speed.

Sue, Emily and Leah were waiting for them when they got back. The women were prepared; the bed in the spare room was stripped down so that there was just an old sheet covering the mattress.

"Oh my." Sue's hand came up to cover her mouth before she composed herself. "Set her down on her stomach and then you two need to leave."

Paul glanced at his Alpha for guidance. Sam's mouth tightened.

"We need to know what happened to her, Sue."

His ex's mother put her hands on her hips. "Well, I need to cut her dress off so I can treat these wounds properly, so you'll just have to wait for now."

Suitably chastised, the two male wolves backed out of the room and Sam sent Paul back out to relieve the younger wolves from patrol. He could hear the women murmuring to themselves as they worked on Bella's damaged body and then a cry of pain as the girl in question woke up.

Eventually, Sue and Emily emerged, visibly tired and drained by the experience. Emily immediately crossed to Sam and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. He hugged her back tightly, as much for his own reassurance as hers. When he felt her relax slightly, he turned his gaze on Sue.

"Well?"

Sue yawned and rubbed her fingers across the bridge of her nose. Crossing to the sofa, she sank down into the cushions and with a glance upstairs, Sam followed, half-carrying his imprint with him.

"Is Leah not coming down?"

Sue leaned back. "She's going to keep an eye on Bella for me tonight. I can take over tomorrow morning once I've had some sleep."

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"Her back is completely bruised," Emily explained. "Like, completely black, so we think she hit something with a lot of impact. Also, there was glass imbedded everywhere in her skin. That's why she was bleeding so much. Some of the shards were huge. Thankfully, Leah is pretty sure we got all the slivers out."

Sue paused, and the two women exchanged a look.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Sue licked her lips nervously. "From the look of the bruises on her arms, I'd say she was pushed quite forcefully into a mirror or table or something. This isn't Bella being clumsy. This is something that was done to her."

Sam felt his lips curl up in a snarl. "They hurt her?"

"I'd say so." Sue sighed sadly. "What am I going to tell her father?"

Emily stroked her hand over his arm soothingly as she addressed her aunt. "Does he know where she is? Can we call him?"

"I'll do it when I get home." Sue raised herself out of her seat and gathered up her coat. "I'll leave my first aid kit here. Tell Leah that Bella can have two more of the painkillers if she wakes up again."

Closing up the house after her, Emily and Sam went to bed.

"Are you out on patrol tonight?"

Sam nodded. "I need to take over from the others in a couple of hours. We're on the alert at the moment."

Emily's eyes were wide. "Because of the Cullens?"

"Yes. If Bella confirms that they attack her, then the treaty is void and we'll attack. Hopefully, they'll be reasonable and just leave, but we have to be prepared."

With nothing else constructive to be said on the matter, Emily fell asleep quickly, but Sam stayed awake, his head turning over what needed to be done. He couldn't settle, and after a while, he got out of bed just to avoid waking Emily with all his tossing and turning.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, he heard quiet murmurings coming from the spare room. Curious, he crept along the corridor and leaned against the door frame. Bella was lying on her stomach, covered only by a sheet, her upper body bared. She was crying hysterically while Leah stroked her hair and tried to calm her down.

Bella seemed to be trying to talk, although her words were broken by her sobs.

"...and I didn't mean to, but I forgot it was there, so I tripped...fell into the bookcase...I didn't know what happened, I think I cut myself...then with the smell of the blood, he just lost control...he grabbed me and I just fell backwards. I remember hitting the window and then I don't know what happened...I woke up and he was crouched next to me and I was scared, so I just ran...I was so tired though and I couldn't get all the way here..."

"Sssshhh," Leah hushed her. "It's all alright now. You're safe here. We won't let anything happen to you while you're here."

Sam must have a made a noise because Leah suddenly whipped around. Her glare was enough to pin him in place, and he backed off, both hands raised in surrender, as Leah coaxed Bella into taking the pain pills that Sue had left for her. A few minutes later, Leah slipped out of the room and nodded towards the living room. He followed her into the dark space and they both paused for a second.

"Her leech attacked her," she finally began.

"I heard."

Leah scowled at that, but then carefully masked her face with a blank expression. "I feel sorry for her. I mean, I think she's an idiot for thinking that this wouldn't end in disaster, but no-one deserves to go through what she did tonight."

Sam sighed. "He pushed her through a window?" he asked.

His ex-fiancée nodded. "She cut herself accidentally and he attacked. She managed to get away and get across the treaty line, but..." She shook her head as if she was shaking the memories out. "Some of the glass we pulled out of her back was pretty big. Mom had to put in a ton of stitches." She stared at Sam beseechingly and he stood up straighter in response.

"We won't let them get away with this, not this time."

Leah gazed at him assessingly. It wasn't the first time that she had looked at him that way since he became her Alpha, but it was the first time that he thought he might have actually said something she agreed with.

For once, though, she broke their eye contact first for once and tilted her head slightly in submission.

"See that you don't. I'm going to go and sit with Bella."

Her unspoken approval buoyed his resolve, and with this sudden renewal of confidence came the need to sort out the problem – the Cullens – immediately. Running outside, he stripped, phased and barked out several sharp calls that gathered his pack to him. Just minutes later, they sped towards the leeches' land together, as one. As they crossed the invisible line that divided them from their enemies, their thirst for vengeance grew.

When they reached the Cullen residence, though, there was no need for battle. The house was deserted. Only the head vampire remained. He was stood on the porch waiting. It seemed he was expecting them.

"Mr Uley, gentlemen," he greeted them smoothly. "I think we need to talk."

Several hours and several revisions to the treaty later, the wolves were on their way back to the reservation and the Cullens were gone, hopefully for good this time. Carlisle has been surprisingly reasonable about keeping Bella protected, so an agreement had been reached with very little trouble. It had taken slightly longer for a mutually agreeable decision to be made with regards to the mind reader, but eventually the daddy vamp had agreed that as long as Bella was happy with the decision, he would keep the bloodsucker that had caused the problem away.

Adrenaline pumping, the wolves had just crossed back over the now defunct line when a new, yet familiar scent hit them.

_Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake._

His name was like a mantra in their collective minds. He was back and as if that knowledge was all they needed, the connection between all the pack members surged. Suddenly, it felt stronger than ever.

Sam sent out the order for everyone to settle down and finally get some rest. Leaving them behind, he sped back to his house where he knew he would find the rightful Alpha.

He was right to go straight home. Quil and Embry stood guard outside on the deck. Sam nodded at them as he passed and then mounted the steps that would take him to the upper floor of the house.

The door to the spare room was open again, only this time there was a great smear of dirt marring the paintwork. Leah was stood in the doorway, her eyes fixed on something in the bedroom. Sam stepped forward to join her as he followed her gaze.

The scene that greeted him stopped him in his tracks. Bella was awake again, but she wasn't alone. Jake was with her, crouched beside the bed as they exchanged quiet words. From where Sam stood, it was hard to see where Bella ended and Jake began. Her free arm was hung over his shoulder and Jake had his hand cupped around her face as his thumb carefully stroked her cheek. Sam watched, almost spellbound, as Jake leaned forward, rested his forehead against hers and brushed away her tears when she began to cry.

Leah broke the spell. "Come on."

As she tugged on his arm, Sam was barely aware of her manoeuvring him down the hallway to the top of the stairs. He glanced back towards the younger couple. He felt like he should stay, but he found himself following Leah.

"I should be going," Leah said. "Now Jake's here, there's no need for me to stay. I'll be back in the morning when my mom comes over to check on her wounds."

"Okay," Sam agreed quietly. "Thanks for all your help tonight." He reached out to squeeze her upper arm and for once she allowed him to touch her without flinching.

Leah turned to go down the stairs, but then paused and looked back at him.

"Sam, I just...I just want to say that... you did good tonight. You know, for once." She shuffled uncomfortably. "I know you have to be tough to run this pack, but I also know that you could've left Bella lying there in that water until the leeches stole her back. So...yeah. You did good."

Her hesitant approval meant more to him than he wanted to admit.

"Thank you," he choked out.

She vanished into the night and with one last glance towards the other bedroom, Sam re-entered his own. Emily appeared to be still asleep, but when he shucked his cut-offs and slid back into bed, she rolled over and snuggled into his side.

"Everything sorted out?"

"Yeah." He kissed Emily on the forehead and lay back. "Surprisingly for once, everything's ended up just fine."

"Good." She pressed her lips sleepily to his chest and then mumbled as she drifted off to sleep. "I knew you'd do a good job."

Just before he fell off to sleep, Sam thought to himself that maybe for once he actually had got it right. For him, for Leah, and for Bella and Jacob.

Feeling more at peace than he had in a long time, he slept soundly that night for the first time in over a year.


End file.
